Sieve carrier adjustably suspended from machine frame and actuated by a free-swing drive



F. TANNER Aug. 7,

SIEVE CARRIER ADJUSTABLY SUSPENDED FROM MACHINE FRAME AND ACTUATED BY A FREE-SWINGDRIVE Filed Aug. 20, 1948 INVENTOR RNEYS Patented Aug. 7, 1951 SIEVE CARRIER ADJUSTABLY SUSPENDED FROM MACHINE FRAME AND ACTUATED BY A FREE- SWING DRIVE Fritz Tanner, St. Gallen, Switzerland, assignor to Gebruder Buhler, Uzwil, Switzerland Application August 20, 1948, Serial No. 45,245 In Switzerland August 28, 1947 '5 Claims.

present invention relates, generally, to

sifting or screening apparatus as used in sepa- .rators, sifters and hominy-cleaning machines, and, particularly, to a sieve-carrier suspended from the machine frame by means of adjustable pendulum-rods and actuated by a free-swing drive gear.

7 It is known in the art that the cleaning effect of reciprocatable sifting or screening apparatus, in

particular of gritsor hominy-cleaning machines as well as of sifters and separators, may be materially influenced through the throw of the sieves. In this connection, the position of the sifting surface, with respect to the horizontal plane also is of prime importance.

, ,jAs long as the sieve-carriers are freely suspended individually on pendulum-rods a be stretched or slacked respectively, simultaneou'slywith the adjustment of the pendulum-rods, as otherwise the sieves became displaced and would not vary the throw.

7 In' the sieve-carrier having free-swing drive,

according to my present invention, the said latter disadvantage is eliminated by disposing tension'springs intermediate of machine frame and sievec'arrier, which springs so engage the pendulum-rods that--on adjusting the inclination of the latter-the said springs are automatically stretched or slacked, respectively, and the sievecarrier always remains in its initial position relative to the frame.

The mounting of the sieves in the sieve-carrier suitably is made adjustable, in order to permit to adjust the sieves longitudinally and/or transversely.

One form of my present invention is shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows a free-swing sieve of a gritor hominy-cleaning machine in front elevation,

Fig. 2 a horizontal section on line II-II of Fig. 1,

Figs. 3 and 4 show, in a larger scale, the sievesuspension on a pendulum-rod at minimum and maximum angular setting of 5 and 15, respectively, of the pendulum,

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line TIL-III of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 a vertical section on the llneIV-IV of Fig. 1.

The numeral I designates the sieve-carrier of two juxtaposed sieves 2 and 3; I2 the machine frame and I2 the free-swing drive supported by the sieve-carrier I.

The sieve-carrier I is suspended in the bearings l on four pendulum-rods 5. The points of suspension 5' of the latter are displaceable in bearings 6 and by meansof the screws 1, on the inclined supporting-faces 8 mounted on the frame I2. Clips 9 each are securely clamped to the rods 5 at quite definite distances at and a from the bearings 4. One end of a tension spring it each is hooked into the said clips and the other end of each said spring is engaged by a turnbuckle I I which is mounted on the frame I 2.

The sieve-carrier I is drawn up against the frame I2 under a certain force by means of the turnbuckles I I and springs Ill. The latter are disposed, at least on the delivery side of the sieve (Fig. 2) at an acute angle with respect to the side-walls of the sieve-carrier I, in order to prevent the latter from becoming laterally displaced relative to the machine frame I2.

In Figs. 3 and 4, a pendulum-rod 5 is shown at its minimum and maximum inclination respectively. Such variation of the inclination of the rods 5 serves for the purpose of varying the throw d of the goods to d, while the jolting stroke h remains constant. When s0 varying the inclination of the pendulum-rods 5, the springs It are automatically stretched or slacked, respectively, and the sieve-carrier I always remains in its initia1 position relative to the frame I2, being held therein by means of the springs II] in accord with the jolting weight, the inc1ination b and the spring tension 0.

In accord with the output and the nature of the product, however, not only the throw but also the inclination of the sieves in the direction of run of the goods shall be regulable. Besides such regulation, a further regulation of the sifting surface transversely of the direction of run of the goods shall be set up, namely with the aid of mounting the sieves in their carrier I as described below.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the frames I3 of the sieves 2 and 3 are inserted in U-shaped guides I4. On the supply-side (Fig. 5), the said guides I4 are adjustable through elements I5, screws I6 and I6 and eccentrics I1. Further, screws I8, follower-rods I9 and eccentric bushes 2022 are provided on the delivery side (Fig. 6) for the purpose of adjusting the guides i i and, thus, the sieves. When, e. g., the bushes 2i and 22 on the delivery side are turned, the guides M together with the inserted sieve-frames 2 and 3 may be raised or'lowered by the amount 6 in Fig. 1 whereby the sifting surfaces are tilted or biased in the direction of run of the goods. When the eccentric bushes I7 and 20 are turned differently, the position of the sifting surfaces on the frame outsides is changed by the amount f in their transverse direction, and the inclination of the sieves may be changed both longitudinally and transversely. Such variation of the transverse slope is necessary, e. g., in order to permit to so guide the goodseven though the machine is mounted inaccurately or the goods are supplied non-uniformly onto the sieves or in the case of lateral thrusts of the free-swing mechanism as to load the sieves uniformly over their entire width.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A sifting or screening apparatus of the type described,- comprising a machine frame, a sieve frame suspended in said machine frame, pendulum rods fulcrumed on the machine frame and carrying the sieve frame, a free-swing drive mounted on said sieve frame, means for adjust ing the position of the fulcrum of said pendulum rods along said machine frame, a spring acting on each pendulum rod to urge the rod into a predetermined inclined position, said spring having one end connected to the rod intermediate the two points of connection of the rod to said machine frame and. said sieve frame, respectively, and the other end connected to the machine frame, whereby upon a displacement of said fulcrums of the pendulum rods the tension of said spring and the inclination of the pendulum rod are modified without. varying the position of the sieve frame relatively to the machine frame.

2. A sifting or screening apparatus of the type described comprising a machine frame, a rectan gular sieve frame suspended in said machine frame and having two end walls and side walls, pendulum rods fulcrumed on said machine frame and oscillatably carrying. said sieve frame, a freeswing drive mounted on one end wall of the sieve frame, two of said pendulum rods being connected between either end of the sieve frame and the machine frame, means for adjusting the fulcrum of said pendulum rods along said machine frame, a spring acting on each pendulum rod to urge the rod into a predetermined inclined position, said springs having one end connected to the rod intermediate the two points of connection of the rod to said machine frame and said sieve frame, respectively, and the other end connected to the machine frame, whereby upon a displacement of said fulcrums of the pendulum rods the tension of said springs and the inclination of the rods are modified without varying the position of the sieve frame relatively to the machine frame, the springs of said two pendulum rods carrying the sieve frame at the end thereof remote of said free-swing drive extending at an oppositely inclined acute angle relatively to the side walls of the sieve frame.

3. A sifting or screening apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sieve frame comprises two lateral longitudinal guide rails carrying the sieve, and eccentric bushings mounted in the sieve frame and carrying one end of each guide rail for varying the longitudinal inclination of the sieve without varying the inclination of the sieve frame.

-i. A shifting or screening apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sieve frame comprises two lateral longitudinal guide rails carrying the sieve, and eccentric bushings mounted on the sieve frame and supporting one of said guide rails at each end thereof for varying the transverse inclination of the sieve without varying the position of the sieve frame.

5. A sifting and screening apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sieve frame comprises longitudinal guide rails carrying the sieve, and means mounted in the sieve frame for adjusting the position of said guide rails to vary the transverse and longitudinal inclination of the sieve without varying the position of the sieve frame relatively to the machine frame.

FRITZ TANNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 555,262 Phillips Feb. 25, 1896 1,070,552 Steffy Aug. 19, 1913 1,858,917 Davis May 17, 1932 2,157,562 Overstrom May 9, 1939 2,208,127 Hallenbeck July 16, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,968 Great Britain May 11, 1911 549,018 France Jan. 3, 1923 

